Due to the ongoing rise in energy costs, the Government is providing households who live in properties in Council Tax bands A to D, with a one-off Council Tax Energy Rebate of £150 to help towards their energy bills.

Those who pay by Direct Debit should receive their rebate by next Tuesday, 31 May. If there are any Direct Debit payers who do not receive a payment in May, this will be because the Council will require further administrative checks, such as:

• Verifying bank details if the first Council Tax payment has not been made
• Where the information we have in relation to the person liable for Council Tax does not match bank details we hold
• Where the person liable for Council Tax is not eligible for the scheme.

The Council aim to pay all those satisfying eligibility checks by the end of June. They will also start to issue payments to those who do not pay by Direct Debit in June.

They have elected to use the Post Office who will issue barcoded letters that residents can redeem for cash at any Post Office branch, supported by the relevant proof of identity. They elected to use the Post Office to avoid residents having to apply for the payment and to reduce the risk of underclaiming.

Where payments have not been redeemed by 31 August 2022, we will credit the Council Tax account instead. The Government requires the Council to offer direct payment in cash or by bank transfer before crediting Council Tax accounts can be actioned.

The Council will also be offering discretionary payments. Phase one will include payments to residents who were eligible for the Council Tax Reduction Scheme on 1 April 2022. This will include an additional £25 payment for those already eligible for the £150 rebate in property bands A to D, and a £175 payment to those who aren’t eligible for the £150 rebate in bands E to H. No application is required for this payment, which we will issue directly to eligible residents.

Phase two will involve payments to residents who may not have a Council Tax liability but who have energy costs, such as those in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). Applications will be required, but we will be contacting residents in HMOs directly by letter when the time comes to apply.

Finally, an additional suite of payments will be made to those in receipt of Council Tax Reduction (funded by the DWP Household Support Grant). This includes payment of £25 to those in receipt of Council Tax Reduction for households of working age and £110 for those in receipt of Council Tax Reduction for households of pension age.

Full details of the scheme are regularly updated on the website here.